A ‘prolific’ landlord who endangered the lives of children by placing them at fire risk has been fined £23,000 with costs of £2,890.
Mehmet Parlak, the owner of Watchacre Properties Ltd which let Markfield Lodge on Markfield Road, London N15, pleaded guilty at Highgate Magistrates Court to management failures and not licensing his properties.
The court heard that a Haringey Council environmental health officer inspected Markfield Lodge in August and found 78 items of disrepair ranging from fire safety failures, security issues, damp and mould, filthy conditions, broken windows and lights not working.
Conditions were so poor that they severely compromised the safety and comfort of tenants.
No licence application had been received for this HMO despite many reminders. The property was also overcrowded and housed many children.
The officer also requested a licence application for 688-690 High Road, Tottenham N17, and again, after many requests, no application was received.
Councillor Nilgun Canver, cabinet member for the environment, said after the case: “Haringey Council is determined to clamp down on landlords who put profit above their tenants’ safety.
“Mr Parlak is associated with many properties which are used as HMOs and has been involved with this business for many years.
“There was no excuse for not licensing or for allowing properties to degenerate into such squalid conditions.
“The regulations exist to make sure that tenants who are not in a position to pick and choose where they live are protected from rogue landlords like this. A small fire in a property managed like this could lead to the utmost tragedy. I applaud the courts for taking this matter so seriously.”
The council said that the fines in this case were high ‘due to previous convictions being taken into consideration’.
Harringey Council added that licence applications have now been received from Parlak and conditions will be attached to prevent overcrowding. It warns that if there is any breach, the authority will not hesitate to prosecute again.
In October 2008, a London landlord called Mehmet Parlak was sentenced to four months imprisonment and his company, Watchacre, was fined £21,000 after pleading guilty to eight offences under the Fire Safety Order 2005. This followed a fatal fire in 2007 in a flat in Tottenham.
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Comments
Prosecutions and fine are excellent work by the Council. However, story suggests they are going to now give him licences. I hope this is wrong as if ever there was a case of a landlord not being 'fit and proper' to hold a licence this must be it and a Management Order should be made.
Some people simply have no business ethics at all; this is simply profiteering. It is surprising how many private and rented properties are not up to standards with regards to fire safety.
Covering all things from 17th edition electrics to fire escape windows, the majority of houses will be considered ;death traps' if they are ever inspected.
Some people are simply too naive and do not know enough about what is deemed safe. There should be a free information guide for people who rent properties informing them of their rights.
Start repossesing properties like this that will make the bad landlords sit up and get their house in order. Fine was too small what about the proceedes of crime act that would have been much larger. My properties are good enough that I would live in one myself, people deserve a decent standard.
I simply cannot understand how this man can behave in such an iresponsible manner after he had previously been found respnsible in a court of law for the death of a tenant.
Does he have no conscience?
This is where we have to consider some sort of licensing for landlords. Those not fit to be landlords should not be allowed to endanger the life and limb of vulnerable people by having their license revoked or the granting of a license refused.
This sort of outrageous behaviour is what brings the residential landlord industry into disrepute.
I think he was let off too lightly. Considering how much he would have made the fine should have been proportionate to that.